


The Dragon-Bug Switch

by NoodleCanon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Bashing, F/F, Kwami Swap, Ladybug Kagami Tsurugi, Marigami, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:15:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29443194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoodleCanon/pseuds/NoodleCanon
Summary: After an akuma attack leaves Marinette too injured to fight, she turns to Kagami to take her place as Ladybug. As the two work to pull off the scheme, they soon find themselves growing closer than ever.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 129
Collections: Fandom Trumps Hate 2020





	The Dragon-Bug Switch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [milleniumrex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/milleniumrex/gifts).



Marinette was making good time on the way to school. She hiked her bookbag higher on her shoulders, a chipper bounce in her step. It was a beautiful morning in Paris, and she almost wished that the bakery wasn’t so close to the school. Days like this always proved to be so inspiring. But that would mean a longer wait to see her. Tikki poked her head out of Marinette’s purse.

“You seem more eager than ever to get to school Marinette! Is something waiting for you there?” The kwami almost had a knowing glint in those big, round eyes. Marinette giggled nervously.

“Waiting? No! It’s just that all my friends get to school on time to hang out, and I figured I should try it! No one’s waiting for me or anything,” Marinette babbled. She couldn't shake the feeling that Tikki wasn’t buying it.

“I didn’t say some _one_ ,” Tikki giggled.

Marinette grimaced at her mistake. “Well, that’s--” Then she saw her.

Raven dark hair, eyes like flickering embers, and a white jacket emblazoned with her family crest. She stepped out of her car with all the grace of a swordswoman.

“Kagami!” Marinette broke into a sprint, closing the distance between them in a few long strides. Kagami turned a doting smile on her.

“Good morning, Marinette. You’re early for a change.”

Marinette fidgeted with her jacket sleeve. “Everyone keeps saying that. I just like to mix it up, that’s all.”

“You’re exactly fifteen minutes early, in fact.”

“Oh--W-well, I--”

Kagami took a step forward, pinning Marinette with a discerning gaze. “Did you come to school fifteen minutes early because yesterday I told you that I always arrive fifteen minutes early?” She was close, and she was definitely teasing Marinette.

Marinette felt a blush bloom on her cheeks. “N-no! I come to school early sometimes! I’ve always done that, totally.” Kagami narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. “Or, maybe I came to school fifteen minutes early because yesterday you told me that you come to school fifteen minutes early,” she confessed. She pressed her two index fingers together. “I wanted to spend more time with you.”

Kagami beamed and offered her arm to Marinette. “Then, let’s go spend some time together,” she said in her silken voice. Marinette wound her arm through Kagami’s.

“S-so how's fencing going?" Marinette asked as she fell in step with her. "You should tell me when your next tournament is so I can come cheer you on!"

"You have an interest in fencing? That's right, you were at tryouts," Kagami's eyes glazed over as she relived the first time she met Marinette. A frown pulled at her mouth, and she sighed. "I'm ashamed that I've been akumatized not once, but twice."

"I don't think you should feel ashamed at all!" Marinette exclaimed. "All it proves is that you're a deeply feeling person. There's nothing shameful about that."

"Deeply feeling?" Kagami said, feeling the words out. "I can accept that. And since I'm so deeply feeling, I feel like we should practice fencing together."

"Practice fencing?"

"You aren't on the team, but you can still practice the craft." She turned another warm smile on Marinette. "I can show you some techniques if you want." They ascended the stairs to the school, making their way through the clumps of students smattering the courtyard.

Marinette shared Kagami's gaze as they walked. "I'd like that a lot, Kagami..." Their feet paused on their own, the first blush of something bubbling up between them.

A shadow flew overhead.

"Get down!" Marinette lunged forward, toppling Kagami to the ground and shielding her with her body. In an instant, a swarm of pigeons swooped low, almost clipping them. The courtyard erupted in shrieks of panic as dusty wings blotted out the sun.

"Roo! A-roo!" cried a warbling voice.

Marinette detangled her limbs from Kagami's and sat up. "Is that... Monsieur Pigeon?"

"Marinette!" Kagami swung her arm over Marinette's head as another swarm of pigeons swooped down.

A figure dressed in a pigeon costume hovered over the courtyard on a cloud of fowl.

"Roo! A-roo! You are correct, child for it is I: Monsieur Pigeon!" Monsieur struck a villainous pose and cried out again before swooping down to terrorize more students.

"Quickly, children!" someone called. Kagami and Marinette chanced a turn of their heads to see Ms. Bustier on the walkway above. She was waving the students over toward an open door. "Into the classroom! Hurry!"

Kagami and Marinette sprung to their feet. The courtyard swelled in a cacophony of bird sound, shouting, and shoes on pavement. Kagami was halfway to the stairs before she realized Marinette wasn't even with her. "Marinette?" Students darted by her, dodging each other as they funneled into the classroom. Marinette was there, several feet away and sprinting in the opposite direction. "What are you doing? We have to get to the classroom!"

Marinette looked askance. "You go on ahead! I'll, uh, check for stragglers!" And she darted off.

Kagami tried to follow after her, but the rush of students flooding to the stairs kept her stationary. She craned her neck over the heads to get eyes on Marinette. Checking for stragglers? That was brave, but dangerous for someone as clumsy as her.

Above the din someone shouted, "Look! It's Ladybug!"

Ladybug landed with a soft thud on the parapet of the courtyard. The students cheered with relief and excitement as she looked down to address them.

"Everyone! Get into the classroom like Ms. Bustier said!" She stood tall, seeming to tower over the akuma and all of Paris. "I'll handle Monsieur Pigeon."

"Room for one more, Milady?" Chat padded across the roof to Ladybug's side. "Two is always better than one so they say."

Ladybug offered him a tired smile and swung her yo-yo into action. "So they say. Let's wrap this up quickly. I was... in the middle of something."

"Your wish is my command, Milady," Chat Noir purred. He extended his staff and sprang into the courtyard, dodging pigeons left and right.

Kagami tore her eyes from them and ducked away from another onslaught of pigeons. They didn't seem to be particularly harmful, just annoying. But Kagami knew better than to take akumas for appearances. She spotted Nino and Alya up above on the stairs. Alya had her phone clenched between excited fingers as she recorded the fight, Nino pleading with her to go inside.

"Nino!" Kagami called to him. "Can you see Marinette?"

Nino paused his frantic coaxing. "I can't see anything through all these feathers, dude! Adrien's missing, too. Maybe he went to look for her?"

"Marinette and Adrien?" Kagami watched the fight above her, Chat Noir pouncing off the walls, Ladybug dancing around passels of pigeons. She watched for a long time.

Swarms of birds were diving this way and that into the courtyard. Monsieur Pigeon was above, conducting fowl to hurl themselves at Ladybug and Chat Noir. This was a relatively safe akuma attack.

"Marinette!" Kagami dashed forward, diving into a roll to avoid a swarm of pigeons as she made her way to the other side of the courtyard. "Marinette! Adrien! Marinette!" Kagami had to find them. What of they were in trouble. What if Marinette was in trouble?

The courtyard cleared up, the flapping converging into what sounded like one point behind Kagami. She stopped in her tracks and whirled around. The pigeons formed into one giant sphere, a story wide and a story tall, flapping as one, moving as one.

"You think you're tougher than my pigeons? We've learned a few tricks of our own! Roo! A-roo!"

Kagami couldn't see Monsieur Pigeon in his silly pigeon outfit anymore. All she could see was a ball of pigeons careening through the air right for her.

So, she was the one in trouble.

"Kagami!"

"Marinette?" Kagami whirled, but it wasn't Marinette she saw.

Ladybug landed on the pavement and skidded into the mass of pigeons, using all the strength in her legs to stop the ball, stop the ball, stop the ball from slamming into Kagami. Kagami ducked down to cover her head. The pigeon ball slid Ladybug across the stone. She heard pop and Ladybug yell from exertion. Finally, Ladybug launched the ball to the side, birds scattering from ball formation, stumbling on tiny legs, and flapping away.

Kagami uncovered her head and straightened up. "Ladybug, thank--"

"Get in the classroom," Ladybug said through gritted teeth. Kagami had no choice but to listen as Ladybug yo-yo'd back up to the roof. Monsieur Pigeon's hold was weakening on his fowl, and they bobbed back and forth across the courtyard looking for food. Kagami had an easy jog back up the stairs and into the classroom. A pit settled in her stomach as Ms. Bustier shut the door behind her.

"Kagami where have you been!?" Ms. Bustier demanded in a fuss.

Kagami set her jaw and looked to the floor. She bowed. "I was... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off on my own."

"As long as your understand." The teacher turned to address the rest of the class huddling in the center of the room. "Once Ladybug and Chat Noir take care of Monsieur Pigeon, you all are to go straight home. Class is canceled for the day. Remember your self care practices! These attacks happen often, but they still weigh on us."

"Yes, Ms. Bustier," the class chorused.

Marinette landed on the roof of her bedroom with an ungraceful thud as her ankle gave out again. It was difficult enough fighting Monsieur Pigeon while injured, but now she had to descend two ladders and several flights of stairs. She de-transformed, still splayed out on the wooden floor.

"You should get that looked at, Marinette!" Tikki zipped up to Marinette's face, worry creasing her large eyes. "The suit can help stabilize it a little, but you can't wear it forever!"

Marinette pulled herself into her chair with a grunt. "It's fine, Tikki. I probably just twisted it. Some ice from the kitchen and I'll be good as new! But first, I should tell mom and dad that school is canceled because of the attack." She stood, bearing her weight on her uninjured leg. "They might want my help in the bakery."

"You shouldn't be helping anybody right now! You took a big hit today to save Kagami. If you don't rest your ankle, you could make it worse!"

Marinette stumbled to the roof hatch. "Tikki, it's fine!" Marinette snapped. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I--"

Tikki held up a little kwami hand. "I understand, Marinette. Which is why you should see a doctor."

After careful steps and the occasional whimper, Marinette tenderly made her way down to the bakery. She leaned in the back doorway, watching her parents work. Her dad was laminating dough for croissants, and her mom was busy arranging patisserie in the display cases. Marinette was warm by the ovens, but she knew the rest of the bakery was cool to keep the frosting from melting. It smelled like freshly baked bread. It smelled like home.

Her mom was the first to notice her. "Marinette! You're home early!" Sabine walked around the display cases to Marinette's side. "Is everything okay? You look pale." Tom stilled his rolling pin and straightened up to look at her.

"She's right, you do look pale. What happened?"

Marinette squirmed at the sudden hovering from her folks. "It's nothing! Really! We just had a tiny akuma attack at school."

Both her parents gasped. "An akuma attack?" Sabine covered her mouth and exchanged a look with Tom.

"And at school?" Her dad asked. "That sounds scary!"

"You should be upstairs resting! Do you want me to fix you a snack?"

Marinette raised her palms against her parents’ attention. “No, no! It’s okay, I promise! I think I just want to relax with my parents and bake.”

Tom and Sabine exchanged another glance.

“Well,” Sabine started slowly, “if that’s what you think you need, then we’ll always welcome the help.”

“You can finish laminating the croissant dough,” Tom said, “It needs one more fold.”

“Thanks, you two,” Marinette said with a reassuring smile. She waited until they had their backs to her before limping over to the bench to get to work on the croissant dough. She gently folded the cold slab of butter into between layers of dough before taking the rolling pin and rolling the dough into a thin sheet. It took time. It took effort, and the force of her good ankle. But Marinette found she was always the most calm, the most herself, when she was either sewing or baking. The rolling pin went out, the rolling pin came in. Life felt simpler when she was making something.

“Dad,” she set the rolling pin down on the counter and clapped loose flour off her hands, “the croissant dough is ready!”

Tom turned away from the oven with a smile under his mustache. “Can I trust you to cut and roll them, Marinette?” Marinette swelled with pride. Her father has been trusting her to make cookies and shape rolls since she was little, but to be trusted with something as delicate as croissants? It was an honor.

“Yeah, let me just get an egg--” Marinette pivoted when a sharp pain shot from her ankle up her leg, and she buckled to the floor with a thud.

Sabine dropped her patisserie and rushed forward to meet her, Tom hot on her heels.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked nervously.

“It’s fine!” Marinette took her mom’s hand to stand. She kept her weight off her bad ankle. “It’s really nothing, I just rolled my ankle during the akuma attack.”

Sabine and Tom looked at each other again. Sabine turned her attention back to Marinette. “You don’t fall over when you roll an ankle, Marinette. Can you put any weight on it at all?”

“Um...” Marinette felt herself about to lie, like she always does with her parents. But then she thought about what Tikki said. She looked both of her parents in the eye, seeing the concern all over their faces. _I’m their baby_ , she thought. She should probably see a doctor, after all.

“I can’t,” she finally admitted, tears blooming in her eyes. It hurt to rely on others, to admit weakness. “It really hurts to walk on.”

“Come on, baby,” Sabine said, she and Tom enveloping Marinette in a comforting hug, “Let’s take you to the doctor.”

Marinette woke up even earlier then the day before and slowly made her way to school, two crutches at a time.

Tikki poked her head out of her purse. “You’re really getting the hang of this, Marinette!”

“I hope so,” Marinette said ruefully, “I only have six more weeks to go.”

Tikki was quiet for a moment. Marinette knew exactly what the kwami was thinking. She broke her ankle. A lateral malleolus fracture, as the doctor said. She had to spin this tail about how she turned a corner too hard when running from the pigeons. The doctor had barely believed it, but she received a cast all the same. How was she going to fight akuma now? Tikki said herself that the transformation would support her ankle somewhat, but it won’t take away the fracture. If she can’t fight akuma, then what would become of Chat Noir? What would become of Paris?

“Marinette?”

Marinette looked up from the sidewalk. Several paces ahead of her was Kagami, scrambling out of her bright red car, worry all over her face.

“Marinette!” Kagami called again, reaching Marinette. “I tried to call you yesterday. What happened?”

“Kagami! Hi!” Marinette said with a cheery air. “I, uh… I was… busy…” The lie fell flat against the pavement as Kagami pierced Marinette with her eyes. Marinette had known Kagami long enough to know when the wheels were turning behind her eyes. Kagami looked from Marinette’s face, to her pigtails, to her ears, to her hands, down to her ankle. Finally she looked Marinette in the eyes.

“This way,” Kagami said. She scooped Marinette up, crutches and all, and carried her into the school.

“KAGAMI!” Marinette’s face grew red hot as Kagami effortlessly carried her up the stairs like a princess. “I can walk with the crutches!”

“This is faster,” Kagami said, passing through the threshold to the school courtyard. Marinette grew very quiet, almost shrinking as Kagami took her up the stairs and into the library.

They walked through the stacks, finding a spot in the back where almost no sound reached. Kagami gently set Marinette down on her feet, taking the time to ensure she was properly balanced before taking her hands off of her.

Marinette blinked back tears. “You could have just let me walk, you know. That wasn’t okay,” she said it a hushed voice.

Kagami bowed her head. “I know. I’m sorry. This was honestly the fastest way, and…” she met Marinette’s eyes again. “I have something important to ask you.”

Marinette sucked in a breath. Even though she didn’t _know_ what Kagami was going to ask, she still knew what Kagami was going to ask. She thought of all the lies she prepared for this moment. All the coaching from Tikki to deny, deny, deny until her last breath. All the things she could possibly say to deflect.

Kagami drew in a breath of her own. “You’re Ladybug, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Marinette said. Her purse jumped, and she started. She glanced down to see Tikki revealing herself halfway. “How did you know? Was it my--”

”You’re ankle,” Kagami confirmed. She reached her hand towards Marinette’s. “I heard Ladybug--I heard you scream when you caught that ball of pigeons. And you were short with me. Ladybug would never be short unless she--”

“Unless I was in pain,” Marinette finished for her. “I learned that about myself recently. I… I haven’t told anyone.”

“I know,” Kagami said.

“You can’t tell anyone,” Marinette pleaded. She realized tears were spilling down her cheeks.

“I won’t,” Kagami said. She squeezed Marinette’s hand, warm skin meeting skin. “I promise. On my honor.”

Tikki rose from Marinette’s purse, looking from Marinette to Kagami. Kagami’s eyes widened.

“Is this the ladybug kwami?” she asked. Marinette nodded her head once, wiping tears from her face. Kagami let go of Marinette’s hand and offered a deep bow, her hair falling around her face in a curtain.

“Thank you,” she said reverently. “Thank you for protecting Marinette.”

Marinette watched as Tikki mirrored Kagami’s bow. “It is my honor,” the kwami said.

Kagami straightened, and turned her attention back to Marinette. “What are you going to do? Now that your leg is hurt, I mean.”

Marinette leaned back against the stacks and brought a finger to her chin. “I don’t know. Chat Noir can’t fight without Ladybug. Her power to purify akuma is the core of how we protect Paris. And I can’t fight like this.”

“Could Ryuko help in any way?” Kagami asked.

Tikki shook her head. “It has to by Ladybug. The ladybug miraculous is the only one that has the power to purify.”

For a moment the three stood among the stacks of the library. They stared at the floor, mulling over what they could or couldn’t do when Marinette perked up.

“That’s it!” she exclaimed. A chorus of “shhh”s erupted from the library. She ducked her head with a bashful grin.

“What’s it, Marinette?” Tikki asked.

Marinette turned to Kagami. “Knowing the true identity of Ladybug is a heavy burden. Are you prepared to pay for it?”

Kagami looked taken aback, but she took Marinette’s hands in her own. “Yes, of course! I’d do anything.”

“Then walk me back to my house after school today,” Marinette said with a triumphant grin. “We have a lot of preparation to do.”

Kagami adjusted the hang of their backpacks on her shoulders as she stood tall in the middle of the floor of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. Both Tom and Sabine were eyeing her with delight as Marinette explained that Kagami was a new but close friend from school, and she not only was kind enough to walk Marinette home, but they’re going to work on a project together. It all felt so surreal to Kagami. She hadn’t even been to Adrien’s house, and they were suppose to be considered close.

“Ready to go upstairs, Kagami?” Marinette asked.

Kagami nodded. “Should I carry you again?”

“She carried you?” Sabine held a hand to her mouth in wonder.

“No!” Marinette said quickly, slowly making her way to the back of the bakery, “No, no, that was just… Uh… Kagami?”

“Right. It was nice to meet you Mr. Dupain and Mrs. Cheng,” Kagami said with a bow of her head. She took one of Marinette's crutches, wrapping an arm around her waist to support her instead. “Marinette?”

Marinette blinked. “After you,” she said finally. Kagami pulled one of Marinette’s arms around her shoulder and they climbed the stairs together, slowly but surely.

“You really don’t have to worry over me so much,” Marinette said as they climbed up into her room. “It was hard enough getting my parents to let me stay up here.”

Kagami looked around the room, taking stock of the fashion magazine clippings, unfinished projects, and other uniquely Marinette-isms of the surroundings. The space felt uniquely hers, down to the pink polka-dotted pens clustered in a cup. It felt comforting being somewhere that belonged to someone else. Her own room felt sterile, with even the red upholstery feeling cold. Her eyes fell on a few photos of Adrien pinned to the wall, and her heart sank.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said in response to Marinette. “It’s not that I think you’re weak, it’s just that we’re adamant about taking care of people who need help where I’m from.”

“Well, yeah, that’s anywhere, but you don’t have to go hoisting me up in front of other people.” Marinette limped forward from the depths of her room with a box and sat down on the chaise lounge. She turned a tired smile to Kagami. “I appreciate you helping me, I really do, but you don’t have to go all out. Sit down here.”

Kagami did as Marinette said, sitting on the floor between her outstretched legs. She began fidgeting the moment her knees hit the hardwood. “But what if I want to go all out? Also, what are you doing?”

“Hold still.” Marinette’s fingers ran through Kagami’s hair, making goose bumps rise on her arms. Marinette produced a hair brush from the box and began combing Kagami’s hair back. The repeated motion felt nice, and Kagami’s eyes grew heavy at the touch. “Look, you can go all out sometimes, but I like knowing that I can do things on my own, too. I am Ladybug, after all. Or I was.”

”Was?”

“I have an idea,” Marinette said. She pulled a few hair ties from her box, placing them between her teeth for safe keeping as she parted Kagami’s hair. “You and I have fought together as Ryuko and Ladybug. You’re capable in combat. You probably figured out my fighting style before I did.”

Kagami felt the cool air hit her neck as Marinette tied her hair back. The baker’s girl produced a hand mirror in front of Kagami’s face, and she took it. The pigtails were short, much shorter than Ladybug’s, and Kagami’s bangs covered her face much more than Marinette’s did. Marinette peeked at Kagami through the mirror and brushed the other girl's bangs to the side.

“With the mask on, you’ll pretty much look like me. I don’t think even Chat Noir would know the difference,” Marinette shut the hair box as Kagami appraised herself in the mirror, “It could be anybody as long as they’re wearing red and black polka dots.”

Kagami angled the mirror so she could watch Marinette’s face as she talked. She looked so comfortable here in her own space. Kagami should have been happy to experience that, but she still felt so dejected. “Marinette?” She asked.

“What is it, Kagami?”

Kagami sucked in a breath. “Do you still love Adrien?”

Kagami watched as Marinette’s hands stilled on the hair box. Marinette’s eyes searched far off into space, as if she herself was looking for the answer to that question.

“No,” she said finally. “I don’t think I do. Not the way I used to anyways. Why?”

Kagami shook her head and handed the mirror back to Marinette. “Just wondering. That’s all.”

Marinette took the mirror, setting it thoughtfully in her lap. “Do you still love him?”

“No,” Kagami said. “Not the way I used to.”

The two sat in silence for a moment, both wondering what the other was thinking, but too afraid to ask. Kagami spoke first. “So, what’s this plan you have? I think I can already guess by the new hair style.”

Marinette stood, prompting Kagami to do the same. She turned a big grin to Kagami and took her hands. “What if you were Ladybug? Just for six weeks? I mean, Hawkmoth knows you’re Ryuko, but he would never guess that you were Ladybug since he saw us both together.”

Kagami stood mouth gaping for a moment. "Ladybug? Me? But, I've been akumatized twice. I can't be Ladybug."

"That was a long time ago," Marinette said. She stroked Kagami's hands with her thumbs. "I don't think you're at risk of that anymore, though. You seem like a very different person than you were when we first met. I like who you turned out to be."

Kagami watched Marinette's thumbs run back and forth across her skin. "I like who I turned out to be, too," she said quietly. "I think I always was this person, but being around you helped bring it out of me."

"Then you know the two of us together can do anything."

Kagami met Marinette's smiling eyes. The corners of her mouth pulled up despite the hammering in her chest. "I do."

Kagami leapt across rooftops. Her feet hit the shingles without so much as a thud as she darted over chimney and skylights. Having a miraculous felt riveting. Liberating. She felt like she could do anything. There was one thing holding her back.

"Marinette, wasn't the point of this for you to stay home and rest?" she said, "I don't like the idea of you being around in case of an akuma attack."

"Did you forget who was Ladybug before you?" Marinette's tinny voice came through her new communicator earpiece. It was a comfort, but Kagami couldn't shake her worry about Marinette being on the ground within 300 yards of the action. And with a broken ankle.

Kagami stopped in her tracks, peering down at Marinette sitting at a cafe down the street. She couldn't see from her vantage point, but she knew the former-Ladybug had a map of the city up on a laptop. "I know, it's just that I might not be able to protect you if something goes wrong."

"Kagami?"

"Yes, Marinette?"

She could hear her smile through the earpiece. "You're going to do great. I know if anyone could do it, it's you."

"You did it, too."

"Yeah, but it took me a week to get the yo-yo down! You mastered it in a few hours!"

Kagami continued her sprint over the rooftops. "I think my fencing lessons helped. I do well with finessed motions." Feeling brave, she stepped into a front flip, landing on the opposite roof with the grace only the miraculous could endow.

"Did I just see you do a flip?"

"It felt right."

"Show off," Marinette grumbled, but Kagami could tell by the smile in her voice that she didn't really mean it.

"Only when I have someone to show off for," she said smoothly, continuing her patrol around the block.

"Wait, you mean me?"

"I could care less about the rest of Paris seeing me do a front flip."

"Oh. Oh! That's--"

Another set of footsteps fell in with Kagami's and she jumped with a short gasp. Chat Noir snickered as he fell in time with Kagami.

"It's not often I can get the drop on you, Milady!" He vaulted himself over a chimney, keeping up with her in his cat-like way. "Were you lost in thought? Was I running through your mind?"

"He really doesn't know it's me," Kagami muttered under her breath.

"I told you," Marinette said over the comms, "anyone could be wearing the suit."

"Did you get a haircut, Milady?" Chat Noir appraised her with earnest eyes. "It's very becoming of you."

 _He has it so bad for her_ , Kagami thought with a pit in her stomach, _Can I do this?_

"Uhhh... Yeah, thanks for noticing."

"Kagami, you gotta flirt with him!" Marinette said.

Kagami sputtered. "I have to what?" she hissed, low enough that she was sure Chat Noir couldn't hear.

"He might suspect something's up if you don't!"

"He'll figure me out?" Kagami muttered.

"Ugh, worse. He'll pout."

Chat Noir bumped Kagami as they ran along the roofs. "Hey, are you okay? You seem like you're having an off day."

"Umm..." Kagami wracked her brain for a comeback. Something witty. But she wasn't witty, she was direct and bold. Still, she had to say something. "Don't you think we should be focusing on patrols, Pretty Kitty?" She cringed.

Chat Noir slowed to a stop and laughed. Kagami stopped as well, watching his shoulders shake in the Parisian sunlight. She supposed he was kind of cute. Kind of.

"'Pretty Kitty?' You _are_ having an off day. I think I'll be okay if you stick to 'Kitty' for me." He flashed her an easy smile and sidled up to her, leaning an elbow on her shoulder. "You don't have to try on my account. My feelings for you already run deep."

"I am so sorry, I really should have prepared you for him," Marinette groaned.

Kagami looked Chat Noir up and down. He came on strong when he thought no one else was around, but she knew he was a capable teammate.

"What if your feelings ran with me to Le Grand Paris Hotel?" Kagami said, gaining confidence in her banter. "Chloé's been awfully quiet lately. She might have gotten someone akumatized again."

"Your wish is my command, Milady," Chat Noir gave a showy bow. "Especially when you say it in a pun."

They didn't make it within a block of Le Grand Paris before trouble started.

“CHLOÉ BOURGEOIS. IT’S TIME FOR A MAKEOVER,” a female voice bellowed through the Haussman buildings. Kagami and Chat Noir exchanged a glance and sprang into action, ducking around chimneys and hopping over dormers to get a sight line on the akuma. There, standing at the very top of Le Grand Paris was an akumatized woman. She was dressed in a black smock with red trim up the sides, skin turned garish pink. Her face looked like a mask of perfectly applied makeup, eyes closed. She brandished a giant-sized makeup brush of some kind, though Kagami couldn’t identify which.

“Do you recognize her?” Chat Noir asked.

Kagami thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“Uh, you guys should check your communicators,” Marinette said through the comms. Kagami’s shoulder hitched up at the sudden sound of her voice.

“What are you doing?” she hissed, hoping Chat Noir couldn’t hear, “You should be out of range!”

“I’m following you, duh.” Marinette grunted. “The best I can, anyway.”

Kagami huffed and flipped open her yo-yo like Marinette showed her. The interface worked more or less like a smartphone. Very convenient. She briefly wondered if she had a communicator hidden somewhere in her sword as Ryuko, but then she saw it. “Chat, you should take a look at this.”

Chat Noir sidled up to her and peered over her shoulder at the Instagram video open on her communicator. “Ugh… Chloé…”

A muted video of Chloé played, another smaller video of a woman doing her makeup in the corner of the screen. Chat Noir reached around Kagami and tapped the speaker icon, unmuting it.

“--ridiculous, utterly ridiculous blending. Honestly, I don’t know why you even try Alexis Anise. And don’t even get my started on the product choices! Drugstore brands? Please, maybe if you could afford higher quality, your looks would _be_ higher quality. Anyways, next time on The Bee Sting, we take down everyone’s actual favorite beauty guru--” Kagami muted the video again.

Chat Noir sighed, looking almost saddened by the display. Was there more to him than flirting and cat puns? “It’s going to be hard talking to Chloé about this after everything that happened when she was Miracle Queen.”

“Yeah,” Kagami said, though she wasn’t sure what he meant.

“Shall we, Milady?”

Kagami gave him a smile and nodded. “We shall.” And they leapt up to reach the top of the hotel.

The akumatized victim stalked along the edge of the roof, brushing passed potted plants and terrified hotel guests. Now that Kagami was closer, she could see that Influenca's makeup was actually one piece, much like her fencing mask.

"Stay out of my way, Ladybug and Chat Noir!" she bellowed, "On second thought, why don't you stay in my way, and become my followers!" Influenca pitched forward and swung her giant makeup brush at them. Cat Noir dodged right, Kagami dodged back, flipping just out of the way of the bristles. They looked coated with pink powder. Was that suppose to be blush?

"I don't think that's just makeup on that brush," Marinette came through on her earpiece.

Kagami froze in place. "Wait, where are you?"

"Ladybug, look out!"

Kagami refocused just in time to see Influenca hoisting her brush for another hit. She dodged to the side, rolling to a stop right next to Chat Noir. Back toward Influenca, a hotel guest that shouted at Kagami was looking between the heroes and the akuma in panic. Kagami gasped.

"Get out of there!" She threw her yo-yo, aiming to yank the guest back.

"If you're such a loyal follower of Ladybug's," Influenca closed the distance between her and the guest, "why don't you trying being a follower of me!" Just as the yo-yo wrapped around the guest's waist, the makeup brush came down, completely covering the person's face. Kagami pulled her yo-yo string as hard as she could. Chat Noir extended his staff. The captured hotel guest flew back towards her at the same time Chat Noir knocked Influenca off balance. The guest landed against Kagami's chest in a rush.

"Sir, are you okay?" she asked, unwinding her yo-yo string from around him. She spun him around to face her. Where his face should have been was a mask identical to Influenca's. "What?"

"Get her, my follower!" Influenca commanded as she righted herself. She sprang away as Chat Noir came towards her, and she brainwash another two guests with a pass of her brush. "Get Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous," she stood on the lip of the roof, "while I collaborate with Chloé!"

"She's standing right over Chloé's balcony!" Marinette shouted over the comms.

"Go find somewhere to hide!" Kagami snapped, more to Marinette than the others on the roof with her. She shoved the follower back. He lost his footing and fell on his backside.

"Hey!" Chat called to her, using his staff as a bar from the other followers clawing at him. "I thought we were suppose to be careful with civilians!"

The follower stood back up, hurling himself at Kagami and making a grab for her ears. She hopped over him, causing him to fall into the pool. She could knock them all out if her had a shinai sword, but what if she hurt them?

"I know," Kagami finally said to Chat Noir. She darted forward and grabbed one of the hotel guests-turned-follower, hoisting her into the pool. "They don't make it easy."

Following her league, Chat wrenched his staff to the side, sweeping the other two into the pool. They both hopped back, watching the followers bobbing in and out of the water. Their masks were melting off, and only a moment later they were all looking at each other in confusion.

"Quick thinking, Milady," Chat said with a nudge.

"It's like that stupid joke boys make."

"Take her swimming on the first date," Chat Noir and Kagami said simultaneously. They exchanged looks.

"Boys are pretty stupid," Chat said with a shrug. "Time to go save Chloé from herself?"

Kagami nodded.

Marinette craned her neck from her spot on the sidewalk. She couldn't see the roof from there, but she did see Influenca burst through Chloé's window. She almost had half a mind not to say anything.

"Chat remembers where Chloé's room is, but it's the southeastern corner suite directly under the roof. You can't miss it!"

"Let's split up to cover both entrances!" Kagami said. Marinette could hear a faint confirmation from Chat before she saw Kagami appear over the edge of the roof and crouch just above Chloé's balcony.

"Marinette, what are you doing?" Kagami hissed.

"I'm helping!" Marinette said from her spot on the sidewalk. She edged backward under an awning.

"She's brainwashing people. You have to get out of here."

"I don't have a good vantage point anywhere else," Marinette argued, "I have to be here." Her heart was pounding, but why? She was Ladybug, she had the right to be here.

"Marinette, I..." Kagami trailed off. "If I don't know you're safe, I'll lose my focus."

Marinette's chest bloomed with a familiar warmth. "I have to be here," she said, her voice small, "For you."

Kagami fell silent for so long that Marinette wondered if she went off to fight. However, she could spot red and black garb perched on the corner of the roof.

"If I can't make you find shelter, then promise me you won't come any closer," Kagami finally said, looking directly at her.

Marinette nodded once. "I can do that, if you promise me you tell me if you need help."

"I promise, Marinette."

Marinette watched Kagami stand from her perch. From her spot on the sidewalk, Kagami looked no bigger than a speck atop a gilded tower. But to Marinette, she was brave, gallant, and a hero. She felt small. Was this how others felt when they looked at her as Ladybug?

"You have to find the akuma," Marinette said, "It's usually in something important to them, like their weapon."

"Like a giant makeup brush," Kagami stood from her perch and dropped down on to Chloe's balcony. "I can make quick work of this."

"Don't forget you have a teammate. He will try to sacrifice himself if you're in trouble, so be careful." Marinette giggled.

"I can be careful. For you."

Marinette's heart skipped, and Kagami disappeared into the hotel.

Kagami slipped through the open doors to Chloé's room. She could only see so much, but the word "extravagant" came to mind while getting her bearings. She paused to listen. Angry voices came from her right, one of them likely Influenca and one of them unmistakably Chloé.

"No! I have nothing to admit!" Chloé's shrill voice careened through the air, covering the sound of the front door open as Chat Noir slipped in. He locked eyes with Kagami and nodded. Kagami nodded back, but she wasn't quite sure what the plan was. She supposed that with the sort of bond Ladybug and Chat Noir had, they could get away with winging it. The idea gave her a quiet pang. She followed his lead, creeping down towards what looked to be Chloé's bedroom. The Queen Bee was curled up on her bed, chin held high in defiance of the akumatized victim looming over her.

"Your makeup is trash and your looks are utterly trash. The fact that you want me to lie is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

Influenca gritted her teeth with a girlish growl. "If you won't admit that you were wrong, I'll have to make you see reason!" She raised her brush, poised to strike.

"Chloé wouldn't make a good follower, Influenca," Chat said, strutting into the bedroom. Kagami followed at his side. "She's too stubborn."

"Yeah! I'm too stubborn!" Chloé parroted.

"Well, I've decided that Chloé is beneath me and my follower base," Influenca said. She stepped off the bed and stalked towards Kagami and Chat Noir. "But a follow from Ladybug? That'll boost my engagement!" She swung her brush at Kagami. Kagami flipped back, the bristles narrowly missing her nose. She landed on her feet and tossed out her yo-yo, the wire wrapping around the brush.

Chat Noir took his chance, "Cataclysm!" and rushed Influenca, clawed hand aiming for her brush. Influenca wrenched her brush, causing Kagami to fly off balance. The yo-yo wire fell in a coil on the floor. Influenca took a swipe at Chat Noir. He bent backwards, grasping for the brush. Influenca ripped the brush out of his reach, bringing it back down on him. He spun out of the way, and the two stood still, sizing each other up, both unwilling to be touched by the other.

"I don't know about you," Chat began, casually inspecting the nails of his Cataclysm hand, "but all this back and forth is making me ill. Maybe with..."

Marinette groaned.

"Influenza?" Chat Noir tittered. Kagami placed her head in her hands.

Influenca fumed. "That's not my brand!" She raised her brush to strike. Kagami tossed her yo-yo, capturing the brush in her wire again.

"Got you, now," Kagami simpered.

"What are you doing, Ladybug? That didn't work the first time!" Chloé shouted. Influenca braced herself and pulled. Even with her lowered stance, Kagami was still yanked forward by Influenca's brute strength. She tumbled across the stairs leading up to Chloé’s bed.

“Ugh, get up, already!” Chloé shouted again. Her voice was starting to grate on Kagami’s nerves, and for a moment she considered letting Influenca have her.

Marinette’s voice sounded over the comms, “If you’re feeling stuck, use the Lucky Charm,” she said, “but remember, you’ll only have five minutes before you have to de-transform and feed Tikki.”

 _Five minutes?_ Kagami thought, _If I get what I truly need, then I can do it in two._ She sprang up, planting her feet and thrusting her arm in the air.

“Lucky Charm!”

A flash of soft light danced before her eyes before a red-and-black polka dotted object fell into her hands. “It’s a… water bottle.”

“Remember to look around the room!” Marinette said, “Sometimes it doesn’t come to you right away!”

“I don’t think now’s the time for a drink, Milady!” Chat Noir grunted, dodging another swing from Influenca. “We have to make this quick! I’m almost out of juice, myself!” He took a swipe at Influenca’s brush, and ducked back as she twirled it behind her back and thrust it at him again.

Kagami looked up from her water bottle and looked around the room, just like Marinette taught her. There had to be something it could be used for. What if she wet the brush? But that wouldn’t do anything. Something with the curtains?

Influenca took her chance, breaking away from Chat Noir in a sprint towards the distracted Kagami. Chat Noir cursed. Influenca swung just as Chat slid between her and Kagami. The brush smacked Chat Noir across the head, sending him crashing into an orchid pot. His Cataclysm hand brushed against the overhead curtains, destroying them along the way.

“Chat Noir!” Kagami cried.

He sat crumpled like a discarded doll in a pile of shattered pottery and rotted fabric. Chat Noir stood and raised his head. A mask of makeup mirroring Influenca’s covered his original black one. It looked haunting on him. The hairs on the back of Kagami’s neck stood. She noticed that even Chloé was silent.

“Chat?” Kagami tried. “Can you hear me?”

“He’s not going to listen to you, you know,” Influenca said with a cruel laugh, “He’s my follower, now. And all my followers hang on my every word."

“What’s going on?” Marinette said over the coms.

Kagami fastened her yo-yo around her waist and clipped the water bottle to it. “So, you’re controlling Chat Noir’s mind?” she asked, more for Marinette than for herself.

“Oh no,” Marinette said.

Influenca tossed an arm around Chat Noir’s shoulders. With their matching black costumes and masks, they made quite a pair. “Yep! A good influencer can make her followers do anything with the right spin on it. For instance, I could tell Chat Noir to destroy you and give me your Miraculous. Too bad he wasted his Cataclysm on some ugly curtains.”

Chloé balled her fists. “They aren’t ugly, you have no taste!”

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, Chloé Bourgeios!” Influenca bellowed, pointing her brush toward the Queen Bee. “As if anyone could with all your shrieking.”

“I don’t shriek!” Chloé shrieked.

While Chloé and Influenca bickered, Kagami was locked in a faraway gaze. She wasn’t cut out for this. She could be Ryuko, be the sidekick, but what made her think she could be the real hero?

“Kagami, are you still there?” Marinette’s voice cut through the fog like sunshine.

“Yes.”

“It sounds like you and Chat haven’t fought, yet.”

“Not yet. I don’t think I can.”

There was a pause, and Kagami could imagine Marinette shaking her head. “That’s not true. You’re the most capable fighter I know.”

“You know Adrien.”

“Adrien failed with the snake miraculous like three thousand times.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I had to give it to Luka.”

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel better.”

“The point is, I learned from my mistake, and I promised to never give out a miraculous to someone unless it made sense.”

Kagami thought on that for a moment, staring at Chat Noir and listening to Influenca and Chloé’s back and forth.

“Did you give me the Dragon miraculous before or after you gave Adrien the snake miraculous?” She asked.

“Uh… before, but I had the feeling it was perfect for you even then.” Another pause. “That was the day we first became friends.”

Kagami smiled to herself. “That was, wasn’t it?”

“Do you really have time to be talking to me like this?” Marinette asked.

Kagami touched her earrings. “No,” she said. “But I feel much better because I did.”

“I’m always here for you,” Marinette said softly. Kagami’s heart nearly burst. “Chloé’s room is… extravagant. There should be some curtain rods you can use as a makeshift sword.”

Kagami’s eyes traveled up, up to the archway right above her head. With the curtains gone, the fine metal curtain rod was an easy grab. Kagami jumped up with her miraculous strength and pulled it down. She snapped it in pieces across her knee. The rod she was left with was slightly longer than the shinai sword she was used to, but she knew she could make it work.

“Alright,” she said, her confidence returning full force, “Are you sure you’re alright with Ladybug being a swordswoman for a few weeks?”

“Ladybug’s done weirder things,” Marinette replied. “Go get ‘em, dragon.”

“Ladybug,” Kagami corrected. She assumed her stance. “Hey, Influenca! Are you going to finish this, or should I do it for you?”

Influenca whirled away from Chloé. Kagami was sure she was hot in the face under that mask. “You want to fight, Ladybug? I’ll show you a fight you won’t forget. Chat Noir! Why don’t we collaborate with Ladybug on the end of an era!”

Chat Noir jolted, suddenly imbued with life. He reached for his staff, extending it to the length of a proper bō staff before coming at Kagami with his full strength. He bared down with an overhead swing, just as Influenca was coming from his side with a swing of her own. Kagami blocked Chat Noir’s strike, shoving his staff to the side. She blocked Influence’s brush and parried it as well. The three fell into a dance, Chat and Influenca attacking and Kagami blocking one after another. Their onslaught backed Kagami out of the room, down the hall passed Chloé’s closet, and into the main foyer. The only sound was the clash of metal on metal on metal.

“Get ‘em, Ladybug!” Chloé called from her room, “Chat’s not even half as strong as you!”

“Chloé--” Kagami parried a direct thrust from Chat Noir, opening him up for her to counter with a thrust of her own, opening her up for Influenca to attack with another side swing. Kagami hopped back just in time. “I’m appreciate your encouragement, but I’m trying to focus.”

“I wasn’t encouraging you or anything! I’m still not your fan anymore, I was just saying," Chloé pouted from her room.

 _I can’t keep this up forever_ , she thought hurriedly, _Something has to give._ She leapt up as Chat Noir tried to sweep his staff under her feet, and she felt something slosh at her hip. The water bottle. The thought brought her back to the guests-turned-followers paddling in the pool.

“Of course!” Kagami hopped back on to the table in the foyer and ripped the water bottle off her yo-yo wire. “I can’t believe I forgot about this.” Chat Noir and Influenca hung back as Kagami had the advantage of higher ground.

“Don’t mess up my roses!” Chloé called from the bedroom. Kagami ignored her.

“Here, kitty kitty,” Kagami purred. Chat Noir lunged forward, poised to take her out with a thrust.

“Wait, no!” Influenca yelled.

Kagami pulled open the bottle top and splashed Chat Noir in the face. The makeup mask melted, sliding down his cheeks as if he were crying. His body seized for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Kagami emptied the rest of the bottle over her head, and the light returned to Chat Noir’s eyes. He frowned, taking it all in.

“Don’t you know cats hate water?” he whined.

“Well, if you stopped risking your life for me I wouldn’t have to torture you,” Kagami chuckled with a scratch under his chin.

Chat Noir melted under her touch. “But your torture is so sweet, Milady.”

She retracted her hand. “I can handle Influenca for a few minutes while you feed your kwami.”

Chat glanced down at his ring. It started beeping as if on cue. “Don’t miss me too much,” he purred. He turned back to Influenca with a bow. She was livid. “My Lady will be taking care of you for a moment. Be right back!” With a backflip and a peace sign, he disappeared out the door.

“Chat Noir unfollowed me,” Influenca said through what Kagami assumed was gritted teeth. “Because of you. I’ll make you pay Ladybug!” She hurled herself at Kagami with a cry.

Kagami still had a height advantage on the table, so she blocked and parried easily.

“Social media isn’t everything!” Kagami said between exchanged blows. Now that she was only fighting Influenca, she was able to trade hits of her own. She knocked Influenca upside the head. Influenca staggered back, then doubled her efforts, swinging her brush wildly. Kagami wondered if the brush weighed anything at all. Considering Influenca yanked Kagami around not once, but twice, she decided the akuma was that strong.

Chat Noir appeared, sliding into the room with staff at the ready. Kagami dropped off the table, unleashing a flurry of blows on Influenca. Influenca could only block so many with her cumbersome brush. She grunted as Kagami's blows assaulted her shoulders and sides.

“Wow,” Chat Noir fell into step with Kagami, matching her pace with his staff, “I didn’t know you knew your way around a curtain rod, Milady.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” she replied. Influenca was getting sloppy. She didn’t have the same experience as she and Chat Noir, and it showed in her slow reactions.

“You’ll have to tell me all about it sometime,” Chat Noir said, knocking Influenca’s feet out from under her. “Maybe over dinner?”

“I’ll think about it.” Kagami slipped her curtain rod under Influenca’s brush and sent it flying out of her hands. “Now, Chat!”

Chat Noir knew exactly what to do. He put away his staff and cried out with a “Cataclysm!” before grasping the brush handle in his cursed hand. The brush rotted and crumpled into a thousand pieces. A dark-winged butterfly floated out from the rubble.

Kagami pulled out her yo-yo, swiping her finger along the top as Marinette showed her. She dropped the open yo-yo down, letting it swing at her feet for a moment before winding it up.

“Time to de-evilize!” She declared in her best Marinette-voice. She tossed the yo-yo at the butterfly and missed. Her cheeks flared red. She tossed it again, capturing the butterfly with a snap. The yo-yo landed back in her hand, and she continued with what she practiced. The yo-yo opened, and a butterfly of pure white light emerged from its center. It was innocent, enchanting. The beauty of it filled Kagami with joy.

“Bye-bye, little butterfly,” she whispered as it fluttered through the balcony doors and into the open Parisian air. She took up the discarded water bottle and threw it in the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!” she cried. Flashes of light danced around the room, fixing plants, mending curtains, and finally transforming Influenca. Alexis Anise sat on the floor where she’d tumbled as an akuma, wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. She just looked like a regular girl. Kagami’s blood boiled that Chloé Bourgeios had anything to do with her being akumatized. She reached down to offer a hand.

“You’re okay now,” she said in a soothing tone. “We’ll get you home safe.”

“What happened?” Alexis asked, still in a daze.

“You were akumatized,” Chat Noir said gently. Her looked over his shoulder to Chloé. “Someone owes you an apology.”

Chloé stood at the foot of her bed, fist balled at her sides. “Nuh-uh! I did nothing wrong! And I didn’t ask you two losers to come save me anyways! I had it all under control!” She crossed her arms and looked away.

 _Brat_ , Kagami thought bitterly.

“It’s okay,” Alexis mumbled. She looked at the floor. “I think... I learned that it doesn’t matter what other people say about me. I do makeup because I love it, and I use drugstore makeup because it’s accessible to everyone. I’m not going to change that just because someone so out of touch disagrees.”

Kagami and Chat Noir sputtered a laugh.

“What did she say!?” Chloé screeched. “Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous that you think you could ever talk about me that way!”

“Come on, I’ll take you home,” Chat Noir laughed. “Bugaboo?”

“Yes?”

“See you around?”

“We’ll see,” Kagami said, shaking her head.

“Always playing coy. Alexis, can I pick you up?” Chat Noir waited for confirmation before hoisting her up. “I’ll leave Chloé to you, then. Later!” Her extended his staff with Alexis in hand and disappeared.

Kagami watched him leave.

“You’re gonna hate this,” Marinette said through the comms, “but you have to check if Chloé’s okay. It’s what we do.”

 _You’re right, I am going to hate that_ , Kagami thought. She turned toward Chloé.

Chloé was still pouting. “What? Get out of here already. You already got that akuma and messed up my room.”

“The Lucky Charm fixed your room,” she said, walking forward to where Chloé stood, “but I want to know if you’re okay.”

Chloé looked Kagami up and down with a discerning gaze. “Who are you to ask if I’m okay?”

Kagami started. “W… Wh--”

“You’re not Ladybug,” Chloé said with finality.

“Why do you think that?” Kagami asked, determined to bluff through this.

“Uh oh,” Marinette sounded, “There’s no way.”

“Let’s see,” Chloé continued, popping her hip out and appraising Kagami with a pointed finger, “Ladybug would never have pigtails _that_ short, you and Chat Noir were ridiculously out of sync, Ladybug doesn’t use curtain rods to fight unless they’re from a Lucky Charm--ew--, and you just--” Chloé looked Kagami up and down again, waving a manicured hand at her, “You’re not the Ladybug I know. You’re too brash. I don’t know what happened to you, but it’s weird. Change it back.”

“I figured I would try a new fighting technique,” Kagami lied. “You’re right, it didn’t go the way I’d planned.” Her chest felt hollow admitting it.

Chloé stared into Kagami’s brown eyes for an long moment, searching her. Her brow furrowed, and she placed her manicured hand against her temple. “Whatever. Just get out of here. I have a lot of relaxing scheduled today and you’re messing it up by existing.”

Kagami took a step toward the balcony doors. She should stay behind and try to chastise Chloé, but there was someone else she wanted to spend her time with more.

“Just try to be nicer to people, alright?” Kagami said, making her way to the balcony. “You can’t possibly know what else they’re going through.” With that, she dove from the railings to the street, eager to see her love again.

Kagami set Marinette down on the roof of her apartment, making sure to let her good foot land first before letting her stand on her own.

“Tikki, spots off.” In a swirl of light, the miraculous suit parted from Kagami, reforming into the smiling ladybug kwami.

“That was wonderful, Kagami!” Tikki chirped.

“Yeah, you really did a great job despite everything,” Marinette said, grinning, “I knew you were the right one!”

Kagami beamed under the attention. “Thank you. But I still prefer the dragon miraculous--if that’s alright for me to say.”

Tikki zipped up to be level with Kagami’s eyes. “Of course that’s alright to say! It’s completely natural to prefer the style of one miraculous over another.”

“Yeah, like one time I accidentally switched miraculous with Chat Noir. The cat miraculous was fun, but I was happy to have the ladybug earrings back, and I think he was, too.”

Something about that soured Kagami’s mood a little. She helped Marinette down the ladder into her room, taking care that Marinette wasn’t putting any weight on her broken ankle. They landed on the bed, and Marinette laid back against her cat pillow, taking a deep breath and letting in out. Kagami made herself comfortable, folding her legs under her. They took a moment to catch their breath, each girl processing the events of the day as something that happened and something that will happen again and again. For six weeks.

“To be honest,” Marinette said breaking the silence, “I can’t believe Chat Noir really didn’t notice that it was you instead of me.” Kagami looked at her. Marinette was staring straight up at the ceiling, looking troubled. A pit settled in her stomach. She settled down next to her, folding her hands over her ribs, noticing the forlorn beating of her heart.

“Are you,” Kagami began, “are you in love with Chat Noir?”

“What?” Marinette sat up suddenly. “No! What? Of course not! I mean, I know all of Paris likes to pair us together, and I know judging from today you can tell that he has feelings for me, but I don’t feel that way about him. Not even a little bit. It’s just…” She pulled one knee up to her chest. “We were suppose to be partners. I can’t believe he didn’t question it once.”

Kagami sat back up and out a hand on Marinette’s shoulder, the pit in her stomach turning to guilt. “I don’t think it’s that,” she said. She hoped she was doing this right. “When I was figuring out that you were Ladybug, it was like I was trying to think through a wall.”

Marinette reached up and took hold of Kagami’s hand. “A wall?”

“Yes, a wall. It should have been obvious. You’re always late to everything. You always seem to have so much on your plate even when you don’t. And you don’t even change your pigtails when you transform.” Kagami stroked the back of Marinette’s hand with her thumb. “It was always you,” she murmured, “It was always you.”

Marinette didn’t respond, staring at the way their hands joined together, the way Kagami’s touch made her feel. “Kagami?” she asked.

“Yes, Marinette?”

Their eyes met. “Why do you keep asking if I’m in love with someone?” Marinette asked.

The question lingered in the air for a moment, maybe two. Kagami knew she couldn’t hesitate.

“Because I want you to be in love with me,” she said with quiet confidence. “And no one else.”

Marinette drew her hand back from Kagami’s, cupping her cheeks as if she couldn’t believe what she heard.

“Please say something,” Kagami said.

Marinette’s mouth open and shut as she tried to find to words. “I’m s-sorry, it’s just…” she took both of Kagami’s hands in hers. “I do. I mean, I am.”

Kagami's mouth fell open.

“In love with you, I mean,” Marinette said. She searched her eyes, the depths of the sea meeting the depths of the earth. “I’m sorry, I’m trying really, really hard not to start babbling, it’s just that I think I've been feeling this way for some time now, but I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way because you know, what if you were just being nice to me? Or what if I weirded you out because you could tell that I had feelings for you or--”

Kagami closed the distance between them, and Marinette stopped talking. Their lips met sweetly, both question and answer. They sighed into the kiss. Kagami squeezed Marinette’s hands, and they parted with dreamy eyes trained on one another.

“Wow,” Marinette said.

“Yeah,” Kagami agreed.

“So, that’s what that’s suppose to feel like.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Kagami dropped her gaze, suddenly feeling bashful. “That was my first kiss.”

“Oh,” was all Marinette said. “I liked it.”

“Good.”

“We can do it again, if you want.”

A smile crept across Kagami’s face as Marinette leaned forward and kissed her again. Kagami’s hands came up to cup Marinette’s cheeks. Marinette's arms found their way around Kagami’s neck. They stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the feel of being together finally.

Marinette pulled away, her cheeks pink like roses. “So, were you just going to keep asking if I liked someone until you finally got to you?”

Kagami reddened again. “I wanted a truthful answer, so I knew what I had to work with.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you told me that you were in love with somebody, I was going to do what I could to make you see that I was the superior choice,” Kagami said. She met Marinette’s eyes with such intensity that former-Ladybug knew she was telling the truth.

Marinette’s grin widened. “Like what?” she asked.

“Like walking you to class, inviting you out for ice cream, offering my arm to you, that kind of thing.” Kagami thought for a moment. “I was also waiting for you to drop something so that I could pick it up for you.”

“I don’t drop things!” Marinette protested.

Kagami giggled, and Marinette fell in love with the sound all over again. “You’re very clumsy for someone with a superhero alter ego,” Kagami said.

“Apparently I’m clumsy even as a superhero,” Marinette said, resting a hand on her little pink cast.

“But you did it to protect me,” Kagami said, placing her hand over Marinette’s. “And for that I will repay you the only way I know how. By protecting you.”

“So, you’ll keep being Ladybug for six more weeks?” Marinette asked.

“I will be anyone you need me to be, Marinette,” Kagami said.

"I just want you to be you."

They laid back, nestled into one another against Marinette’s pillows, talking and holding hands. Both felt like something ended, but something greater was beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This was a Fandom Trumps Hate 2020 work written for my highest bidder--milleniumrex, who also came up with this adorable plot bunny! I love the Marigami ship, so I had a great time writing this!


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